Sourav Ganguly eligible to become next ICC chairman as per governing body's constitution

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday released a statement in which it set the deadline date for the naming of potential candidates who will be contesting for the chairman's post, which is currently lying vacant following the resignation of ex-BCCI President Shashank Manohar. According to the ICC release, the process will be overseen by an independent chairman of the ICC Audit Committee. However, there was no mention of the voting procedure in case there are multiple candidates.

Also Read: Dream11 IPL: Harsha Bhogle Reveals Major Factor In Bangalore's Turnaround This Season

ICC starts the process for electing Manohar's successor

For a candidate to become the ICC chairman, he would have to gain 2/3rd of the 17 ICC Board member votes even though PTI recently reported that there are a few member nations, who want a simple majority vote where 9 would be enough to win an election. As a result, the ICC in its release has said that the next chosen chairman will take charge from December. The release further says that as per the ICC Constitution, to be eligible, potential candidates must be either a current or former ICC Director.

Also Read: ICC Still Keen On Hosting World Test Championship Final In 2021 As Scheduled At Lord's

With this announcement, the ICC could accept current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly's candidature for the chairperson's post. Ganguly has a vast experience in cricket administration and could also mean that the chairperson will once again be an Indian or a BCCI representative, unless the board opts to put forward former BCCI and ICC President, N Srinivasan's name for the elections.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Reveals His New Social Media Superstar, Netizens Agree With BCCI President

Back in September, PCB chief Ehsan Mani had said in an interview with Forbes that he believes it would be healthier for the game's administration if the new chairman of the ICC did not come from one of the 'Big Three', i.e India, Australia and England. Mani had expressed disappointment at the fact that the election had been delayed for so long, stating that there is a huge problem of conflict of interest within the board and that the ICC was 'crying out' for more independent directors. He also accused the "Big 3" of rotating hosting rights amongst themselves and supplementing their already large incomes from the revenue from these events.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly, Jay Shah Hail Dream11 IPL 2020 As The 'best Cricket Tournament In The World'

Sourav Ganguly and Ehsan Mani in contention to become new ICC chief?

Sourav Ganguly is currently occupied in ensuring that the Dream11 IPL 2020 is held successfully in its entirety in the United Arab Emirates. On the other hand, Ehsan Mani, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, could become one of the favourites to become the ICC chairperson, having had past experience of leading the ICC from 2003-2006. If not Mani, it is also likely that a Mani-backed candidate could also win the election should he able to win more support from other cricketing boards.

Image Source: ICC / Twitter